Scraping and pounding away at a carcass that has been dead for several hours, Homo Habilis, the first handy man as he is called scavenging what is left from a giant hyena kill 2 million years ago. Cutting, scraping, and pulling a Homo Sapiens , modern man is field dressing a antelope it has killed. They both were using something that have evolved over millions of year, Homo Habilis made and used the first know stone tools, Homo Sapiens continued to develop and change the stone tools into what we use today as knives and tools. They were made to do almost anything, be durable and last as long as possible, and the time they take to make varies with complexity.
To Start off, there are so many different modern metals used for tools and knives from high carbon like 1095 to futuristic liquid metals. Stone tools were made with brittle and readily available stones such as chert, flint, and basalt. Although they are made with so many different materials the difference in use is not as big of a difference as it would appear. Modern knives are used for almost everything from cutting, to prying, and even as a hammer. Early period stone tools have been shown to be a jack of all trades tool used for scraping, cutting, and crushing. In Late and even some Middle period stone tools were being made a specialized tools to do a specific job like many of the tools used my Homo Sapiens. It was in those periods that you saw tools and blades become separate tools. Oldowan and Acheulean stone tools were the earliest stone tools. Today we have so many like the bowie, dagger, boot knife, and hunting knife. Today makers make the knives to last a life time and took as cool as possible. Back when Homo Habilis roamed they made tools that got the job done at the time with what was around and if it lasted for multiple uses even better. The early tools were used for many different things and even today there are still knives and tools made today that can do many different uses. One of the tested and proven multiple use tools is the Rat Cutlery H.E.S.T. it has a pry bar, a blade, bottle opener, wire cutter, and even a small space that can be used to store things. Old stone tools had a cutting edge for scrapping, cutting, and prying. It also had a blunt edge that was used for crushing and breanking.
Next, The durability of the tools is now something so important. First stone tools have lasted for millions of years they have stood the test of time and they are just made of simple and common stones such as chert, flint and basalt. Modern tools are made to last with constant use and some are even made to take abuse. They use titanium alloys like Beta-c, super steels such as SGPS and INFI, high carbon steels like 1095, and so many more like cobalt alloys and liquid metals. Stone tools often broke when they hit something just as hard. Modern tools are made to take a beating and keep going even when they hit something just as hard. And compared to stone tools modern tools have a amazing durability to weight ratio.
Finally, tools take time to make some can take minutes others can take months. The first stone tools were made by finding stones that naturally had the shape they needed and used it and as time went on Homo Habilis learned how to make the stone tools by a process called knapping. Knapping is taking a core stone and tapping it with a softer stone, bone or even an antler to break of a sharp piece. One of the first steels was made in India in 300 B.C. called Wootz was used to make tools of all kinds and it was exported to the middle east and to Europe. Another method for making stone tools is pressure flaking in which the Knapper takes the stone core and puts pressure on a small area with a pointed antler, bone or another stone and it breaks of a smaller even sharper edge. One of the most modern ways of making steel is Powder Metallurgy. It is the process in which a majority of modern super steels are made. A process that is even more advance and is being perfected is Amorphous metal. It is a non magnetic metal that is being used in cell phone and computer applications today, they are in the process of trying to use it in tools. It is different because it is stronger and lighter than titanium and is processed in a similar way to plastics.
In conclusion, with technology constantly changing, metal tools are much better than old stone tools. Benjamin Franklin once said a good knife was never made from a bad steel I interpreted that as what it is made of is what makes the tool good. So all-in-all modern tools are better because metal tools can do most anything, they have a greater durability, and are becoming easier and less time consuming to make.
did i forget anything or should i add more?
) they are working on a steel, but it would be weird